Good Or Bad
by Tearrer
Summary: Seventh Year, Head Girl Hermione and Head Boy Draco spend their first Valentine's Day together. Read as the couple recap their relationship and fall deeper in love, whether the outcome results in something good or bad. AU, Complete
1. Secrets, Suspicions, and Surprises

**Disclaimer:** If I were the author of the Harry Potter series Draco and Hermione would have been married by now. I own nothing ((except my plot)).

**Posted On:** October 28, 2006

----------------Pt 1 : Secrets, Suspicions, and Surprises---

Hermione awoke, rays of sunlight gleaming through the window of her Head Girl dormitory. She stood from her luxurious bed, thankful to have been given the privilege to use it. She drew back the curtains to the bay window and gazed, entranced as the sun rose above the horizon, outlining the many towers of the gothic castle of Hogwarts.

It was a daily routine she had gone about following for the past five months of school. Ever since the first day of waking up in these quarters she had been blessed with the wonderful view. Every day was new; every day was beautiful in its own way. Even if it were storming outside, it was a beautiful prospect.

She took a glance at the clock and sighed, _times up_. She then stood and headed towards the door which led into her person lavatory. She took a quick shower, brushed her hair and teeth, dressed up in her school robes, and walked out of room.

Once entering her eyes traveled the length of the common room briskly, hoping to see the Head Boy. No such luck. Well, she'd see Draco later tonight. He was bound to have set something up for the two of them. As tough as he may act to the world, inside, he was a hopeless romantic.

She continued to make her way down to the Great Hall happily, pondering what the day ahead of her may bring. Once there, she glanced unconsciously towards the Slytherin table and saw Draco sitting near his two friends, Crabbe and Goyle, along with the quiet, dark-skinned boy, Blaise. She walked to the Gryffindor table and sat down between Harry and Ron.

"Good morning! It's beautiful outside today!" she gazed up to the enchanted ceiling which mimicked the true sky that was outside the castle.

"Why are you so cheerful, Hermione?" Harry grumbled, throwing a breakfast roll onto his plate.

"Oh, come on mate, cheer up! At least you know you'll be getting a few valentines today." Ron said in a mock serious tone. Harry sent him a death glare.

"Being chased around throughout the day by musical greeting cards sent by giggling fourth years honestly isn't as flattering as it may appear." Harry always seemed to be a target for young hormonal teens on this particular day.

"Honestly, today will be great!" Hermione said brightly, trying to bring the optimism back into their conversation, "Today is the only day of the year completely dedicated to all couples and spending time with the ones you love."

"And who might you be spending your evening with that is making you so cheerful?" Ron raised a questioning eyebrow. Harry looked at her as well, wondering whom she was referring to as well.

"Oh, no one," she tried to keep a blush from appearing on her cheeks, "I just meant in general, for all couples." Both Harry and Ron gave skeptical looks but knew better than to question her again.

"So, what have the two of you planned for tonight?" she asked, diverting the attention from herself.

"I'm taking Lavender to Hogsmeade for dinner. I've made reservations at a pub for the two of us." Ron stated, forgetting about his suspicion of Hermione's words.

"I'm setting up dinner for Ginny and me in the Room of Requirements. I'm having Dobby fix up some food and set up candles." Harry blushed at his words. Hermione smiled genuinely, finding it cute how he got embarrassed over such petty things. Ron, however, narrowed his eyes at him.

"Harry, if you do anything to or with my baby sis-,"

"We will be sure to keep the information from you." Ginny interrupted Ron as she took a seat at the table next to Harry.

"So, 'Mione, what are you up to tonight?" Ginny asked politely, knowing full-well the answer.

"Nothing exciting, really. I'll probably stay in my common room for the night. Maybe pop into the library for a little while…" She gave her best attempt not to smirk. Ginny, alternatively, gave no effort to hide her coy smile.

"What are you two-,"

"Oh, look at that! Classes are going to be starting soon; we had better get going you two." Hermione gathered her things, stood from the table, and walked off.

"What's her problem?" Ron asked Ginny, knowing she knew the answer.

"I think you should mind your own business Ronald." She stood up as well, bid Harry goodbye, and walked out of the hall after Hermione.

Harry and Ron exchanged knowing looks. Something was amidst, and they would find out what it was.

&&&&&

Hermione tapped her fingertips against the desk impatiently, staring at the clock above Professor McGonagall's head table. It was the final class of the day, double Transfiguration. Time was passing dreadfully slowly and Hermione desperately wanted to see Draco. She had only seen him once the entire day, and they had been forced to ignore each other. He was in the presence of his Slytherin friends who would never accept the likes of Hermione.

It's not as if they were ashamed of their relationship, it was just the consequences of their actions if the school or public found out. The social reaction within the school was not what worried them most though. It was the possibility that Voldemort may find out. It was no secret that Draco's family -or at least his father- was in close ties with the Dark Lord and that Draco was fully expected to follow in his footsteps. They knew fully of the life-threatening position they would be in if the time came. But was love worth the risk? Was she even truly _in love_ with Draco? They had been together for just four months now; was that too soon to admit feeling _love_?

Just then the students surrounding her began shuffling around and collecting their things. She followed suite and hurried towards her own common room once people began to leave the classroom. Hopefully there would be something (or someone) waiting for her when she arrived back.

"Fairy Wings." She said to the portrait with an elegant man painted onto it.

"Very well, very well." He spoke slowly and revealed the entrance at the same pace. Once it had opened enough for her to fit in she slipped through the entrance impatiently and pushed the door closed behind her, hearing a complaint from the portrait about under-appreciation of some sort just as he did every other day.

She looked around optimistically and found absolutely nothing. She frowned, maybe there was something up in her room? She rushed up the narrow staircase and walked to her room to find a single piece of parchment lying atop her bed. She rushed over, curious as to what it said,

_Don't go to the Great Hall for dinner._

_Meet me in the common room at 6:00._

_Wear something comfortable._

_-Draco_

Hermione looked back to her watch, it was 4:00. That gave her two hours. She reread the message once more before smiling to herself merrily and heading to the vanity to begin her project of getting ready.

&&&&&

She glanced at herself one last time before leaving the bathroom. As Draco had requested, she had dressed herself in a pair of comfortable tennis shoes, tight muggle blue jeans, and had chosen a white halter top that showed just enough skin to be appealing, but not going overboard. She had charmed her hair to fall to her mid-back in soft waves. Her eyes were darkened slightly with tan eye shadow and black mascara and eyeliner. She grabbed her jacket, which was black, and headed down towards the main common room to await Draco's arrival.

As soon as she had stepped into the room there was a faint knock on the main door of the common room. She walked to the door and pulled it open happily to reveal both Harry and Ron.

"Hey guys!" she said with false enthusiasm, trying to shield herself from their view behind the door. They thought she wasn't going anywhere tonight and seeing her dolled up would do no good for her white lie. Unlucky for her, it didn't work.

"And where are you off to tonight?" Ron asked sternly after pushed the door open completely to get a better look at what she was giving her best effort to hide.

"Oh, no where." She lied nervously, "I've got a lot of studying to do though, and you two have to get to your dates so why don't we just talk later?" she said shutting the door, not allowing them to speak any further. Great, now she'd never hear the end of that!

"Something wrong?" Draco's voice rang through the room as the portrait's closing echoed about the room.

"No, nothing important. I'm so glad to finally see you today." She moved towards him and gave him a small peck.

"I saw Potter and Weasley, what happened?" he asked again suspiciously.

"Nothing. Nothing happened, everything is fine and today will be perfect." She smiled warmly, moving the thoughts of her two best friends to the back of her mind.

"If you say so. I've just got to grab a few things from upstairs and then we'll be able to leave." Hermione nodded earnestly and Draco moved towards his own dorm.

"Oh," he turned around and took a stop towards her, "you look beautiful by the way." he said before leaning closer to her and planting a sweet kiss on her lips.

"Thank you." she said unintentionally seductively. Draco cocked a brow and smirked and walking upstairs. Hermione waited a minute before Draco could be seen descending the stairs.

"You ready?" he asked. Hermione nodded again and slipped on her jacket.

"The portkey will be activated in about thirty seconds, so grab on." He held out a quill and Hermione took hold of an end.

"How did you get a portkey?" she questioned suspiciously.

"I'm a Malfoy." He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes playfully in return, "Oh, of course; how silly of me to forget your _superior privileges_."

"I agree." he smirked again.

"Three, two, one." Draco spoke and within the next moment they had gone.

&&&&&

Harry and Ron were walking down the hall solemnly after being kicked out of Hermione's dorm room and seeing Malfoy walking towards it.

"What the hell is she up to?" Ron asked, temper rising.

"Well, she's obviously going out tonight and she doesn't want us to know who she's leaving with." They walked in silence for a moment, an eerie revelation dawning on both of them.

"Yo-you don't think…?" Ron asked, wide-eyed.

"Hermione? _Our_ Hermione? With… Malfoy?" Harry asked, taken aback at their like assumptions, "No… No, she wouldn't do that. Not after everything he's said and done."

"Think about it, Harry! Why else would she not want to tell us who she was going to be with tonight?" Ron was determinedly speaking, knowing it was a plausible possibility.

"Er, I don't know Ron. How about I just ask Ginny about it tonight? Speaking of which, shouldn't you be going to meet up with Lavender about now?" Harry reminded him.

"Oh, right! Well, don't forget to ask Gin." Ron said before heading off in the opposite direction of Harry, leaving him to worry about their current predicament.

&&&&&

Hermione looked around curiously, taking in her new surroundings. She was in, well, another common room. There were a couple of sofas, a small side table, a small kitchen area, and a… microwave? And a refrigerator? She looked towards her right, back towards the sofas to see a television she had overlooked. She turned around, bewildered, ready to ask Draco where in the world they were but found he was no where to be seen.

"Draco?" she called out a bit frantically. She heard a rustling of a curtain from behind and whipped around. She walked towards it and pulled it back cautiously, unknowing as to what would be revealed. When she looked, she let out a stunned gasp.

There before her was a beautifully decorated balcony complete with a round table for two, a candle lit on the top. But, that was far from the most exquisite part. She walked towards the railing and looked out into the sky at the view stretching out hundreds of miles before her. There will millions upon millions of lights and buildings towering over the two of them in every direction. She took it all, marveled at the site.

Suddenly an arm entangled around her waist and she heard a whisper in her ear,

"Do you like the view?"

"It's astonishing." She breathed.

"Look down, over the rail." He told her. She leaned forward slightly and turned her gaze down. It was high. She could hardly see the street from the height they were at. She jumped back at once and gave a small yelp of fright.

"Draco!" she slapped his arm lightly and he smirked, "You know full-well I don't like heights!"

"How could I forget? You never want to go flying with me. But, unlucky for you its dead fun to see you all wound up." His smirk remained plastered onto his face and he leaned in for another kiss and after a minute they were immersed in an intense snogging session. Hermione was leaning back against the railing for support and Draco continued to kiss her, making sure to lean closer towards her ever second, making Hermione lean farther back. It seemed like hours before she noticed what he was doing and she immediately broke away from his kiss when she had.

"Draco Malfoy!!" she cried, clinging to him as if her life depended on it. He lifted her back upright smoothly and gave her a disapproving look,

"Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you! It's just," she looked over the ledge again and shivered almost unnoticeably, "so high."

"I would never let you fall." He reassured her and moved away towards the table he had set.

"You're mad at me now, aren't you?" she said, sounding defeated.

"Of course not, but you do know I would never-,"

"I know Draco."

"I'm nothing like my-,"

"I **know**, Draco." She said cogently and brushed the subject away; she didn't want to ruin the moment, "The table looks lovely. And, from where each of us is sitting we get a fantastic view of this city! Where are we anyway?" she smiled and moved towards a chair to sit down in.

"Your seat," Draco beat her to it. He pulled out a chair for her and she nodded with a smile.

"We're in a muggle city. Did you see all the funny things inside? I think it's called a camera… the thing with the black screen that you can see your refection in…"

"That would be a Television." She giggled, "You need to take muggle studies." He snorted,

"Yeah, that'll be the day." He said sourly.

"Well, any how, which city is this? You chose to not answer my question the first time, I noticed."

"We're in a very famous place. Can't you tell which one Miss Know-It-All Granger?" He smirked playfully as he used her old nickname.

"Yes, well that certainly narrows it down to about ten thousand possible places in the world!" Hermione said back snootily, showing him up.

"Granger, look there." He pointed behind her, past her left shoulder. She turned and looked up at the skyline near an ocean.

"Oh… goodness, Draco." She was at a loss for words. She stood up once again and moved towards the balcony slowly, completely awe-struck, "I-I can't believe you did this. We're… oh Draco!" she moved towards him and practically leaped on him to embrace him.

"Only the best, for the best." He said smugly.

"New York City. Draco! We're in _New York City_! We're not even in Europe anymore! I can't believe you did this just for me!"

"I remembered you mentioning something about wanting to go to American sometime in your life. I wanted today to be special for you." He said sincerely, so completely different from the normal hard-headed character he was played out to be.

"Draco, I just don't know what to say. This is the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever presented me with." She was glowing with happiness, staring out at the horizon.

"You're quite welcome." He said arrogantly before setting a short, sweet kiss on her lips.

"Now, the food is going to get cold." Draco grabbed her hand and dragged her away from the view.

"Draco, this is amazing. You are amazing. I can't believe how much you have changed and matured since I've met you. I'm so proud of who you are now and who've you've become."

"You sound like my mum, My." He smirked and rolled his eyes, dragging her to the table.

xxx**Flashback**

"_Watch yourself this year Granger." Malfoy's sharp voice showed no amusement._

"_What, may I presume, are you going to do, ferret? Set off your Slytherin scum on me? You obviously are in no shape to take even me on." She looked him over. He had dark bags under his eyes and a look of exhaustion overshadowed his features. His eyes narrowed,_

"_Shut your unworthy mouth, Granger. For your information I don't need others to do my dirty work." He smirked at her after looking her over, eyes wandering her body through her robes. She looked at him, thoroughly disgusted with the boy. He wouldn't lay a hand on her! He was Head Boy and his position was at stake, plus, this was Hermione Granger he was talking to. He brushed past her smugly after she made no effort to reply and walked into his own room._

xxx**End Flashback**

"Honestly Draco, you've become so much more established since the beginning of this year. I was almost, _almost_, frightened of you at the start of this year." She moved awkwardly in her seat. She didn't want to think she still was.

"Er, sorry about that. I guess I could have been a bit easier on you." He shrugged, obviously not truly meaning a word of what he was saying.

xxx**Flashback**

"_Mind your own damn business Granger!"_

"_Just tell me what's wrong. I want to help you." She pleaded with him, hating to see him in such distress. No, she didn't entirely like him, but no one deserved to have to live like he had been for the last month._

"_You can't help me!" he bellowed as Hermione tagged along after him while he strode across the common room, headed for his dormitory._

"_Please, just let me try and help. You never know what -,"_

"_This has nothing to do with you." He spoke through gritted teeth._

"_Yes, it does. When I suspect something is serious or life-threatening to my roommate or fellow student it automatically becomes my own concern as well as your own. Just let me help you!"_

"_Get away, Granger. I don't need nor want your help so just_ fuck off_."_

"Accio Letter_." She said sharply and the parchment zoomed into her own hands. She heard Malfoy curse and walk towards her and she began to read the message, backing as far away from Malfoy as possible all the while._

Draco Mr. Malfoy-

We regret to inform you that on the eve of October the 14th Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy was proclaimed deceased. We have recovered confidential evidence that points to the cause of death being the Unforgivable Curse. Due to the fact that Lucius Malfoy's whereabouts are currently unknown we request your presence in order to confirm final settlements concerning funds and property.

_The paper was pulled out of her grasp and she was pushed forcefully against the stone wall of the common room. Hermione looked up to see a sinister-looking Malfoy glaring down at her,_

"_Granger! When I tell you something is none of your bloody business it means you should keep your filthy thoughts, comments, concerns, and actions to yourself." He roughly grabbed the left side of her neck and forced her face to the right and he leaned down to whisper murderously into her ear,_

"_Never, ever, pry into my business again. Do you understand me, mudblood?" she remained silent._

"_Answer me mudblood." He twisted her face more to the right and she whimpered slightly. It must have been good enough for him because he roughly removed her face from his grasp and walked away incensed._

_Hermione stayed up against the wall for a moment before talking a step away, shaking._

"_I'm here, Malfoy, if you ever want to-," the door slammed shut, "talk."_

xxx**End Flashback**

"I wasn't as dreadful as you're making me out to be. I mean, I had a temper but now you're trying to make my 'changed self' seem as harmonic as Potter or Weasley." He scoffed at the mention of the two names.

"I withdraw my comment about your becoming more mature." She narrowed her eyes at the rude comment.

"He's just so NICE. No one under that much pressure could be as 'lighthearted' as that guy acts. He probably just does it for the publicity."

"For your information Harry thoroughly hates all of the publicity he is given and only wishes to have a normal life. How would you like to be followed around by newspaper reporters and obsessive freaks who send you fan mail?!" she said strongly, making her point.

"He likes it." Draco said simply, not believing a word of his girlfriend. Hermione sighed,

"For now, I'm going to drop this subject. This is going to lead nowhere except an argument and I don't want tonight to be ruined by some petty statements thrown between us while we're bickering."

"Fine, but I'm still right." Hermione narrowed her eyes towards him but made no comment. She stuck her fork into the food before her, aggravated.

"Look at us. We're arguing like an old married couple." Hermione said, grinning, after a few moments of silence.

"We tend to do that quite often, do we not?" a smirk was playing across his face.

"What is it with you and that awfully attracted smirk of yours?" Hermione asked offhandedly.

"Attractive you say?" he smirked, yet again, "I don't really know. It's just a habit I guess…"

"Well, it's a bad one. You should get into the habit of smiling." She proposed; she had yet to receive a genuine smile from him.

"Smiling?" he sat thoughtfully.

"Well, it's only an idea. If your smirk is that handsome I could only imagine how charming a smile would be." She persuaded him, feigning innocence. He shrugged.

They continued their dinners until the two of them were full-up with food.

"That was delicious, Draco." Hermione said, scooting her chair back to stand.

"I must agree with you, I am a fantastic chef."

"You made that!" Hermione asked, amazed at his 'work'. Draco, however, laughed,

"You're gullible. It's adorable, My." She rolled her eyes and looked sideways,

"Sorry I believed you! I'll be sure not to trust you next time you say you'll make sure I don't fall off the side of a building!" she said exaggeratingly.

"Hey, that's not fair. That was a completely different topic. I wouldn't allow you to fall off of a skyscraper."

"You sound like a four year old, pouting like that." She smiled playfully.

"Ah, well, sometimes being immature is the only way to get what you want or prove a point." He gave himself a smirk of approval, "Now, back to the schedule I've lined up for the two of us." Draco moved towards Hermione and grabbed her hand gently and pulled her back into the room they had arrived in. He directed her towards the fireplace and removed a small pouch from his pocket. He opened the pouch and dumped some of the powder into his hands.

"Here." He held out the bad and Hermione gathered some of the dust into her own hand.

"You first or me?" Draco asked casually.

"Me. No you!" she said nervously, wondering where they were headed. He nodded and walked into the small opening of the wall.

"Clearview Pub, New York City." She saw him smirk one last time before he was captivated by a swarm of emerald flames. So, they were going to stay in New York. That made knowing what they were going to do even more nerve-racking! Hermione stepped into the fireplace after it had cleared and took one last look around at the beautiful room. Draco must have paid a fortune just to rent this out for the few hours they had stayed there. She sighed, spoke the words Draco had said minutes before, and threw in the powder, dreaming she could have gotten Draco a gift as magnificent as this was.

After being jostled around a bit Hermione found herself being ejected from another fireplace quite like the one she had just stepped into. But, before she hit the ground on the tile of her new surroundings a pair of strong arms caught her.

"Always there to catch m-," She began flirtatiously before stopping abruptly after she had taken a glance at the man who had broken her fall. This was definitely not Draco. He was quite tall, though not as tall as Draco himself. He looked around 5'11" and compared to her own 5'5" frame, that was high. He had dark brown eyes, tanned skin, and light brown hair. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white polo.

"Oh Merlin I'm terribly sorry! I mistook you for someone else." She blushed furiously, not looking towards the nameless man, "Thank you very much for catching me." She looked up at the man and he smiled at her shyness.

"It's not a problem miss…?"

"Oh! You can call me Hermione. And you are?" she offered her hand to him.

"David, David Moore. Welcome to America." He grasped her hand and bent to place a kiss on it, making Hermione blush deeper crimson. _Where on Earth had Draco gone?_ She looked around; he was no where in sight.

"Why, thank you very much. Actually, I'm here with my boyfriend. He came just a few moments before me. Did you happen to see him? Blonde hair, grey eyes?"

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I was quite forward. I had assumed you were here alone." He released her hand but didn't blush or give any sign of embarrassment. "Well, I haven't seen him. I didn't even notice anyone enter before you but, then again, no one else fell into my arms." He said playfully. Hermione giggled lightly. He had a charismatic sense to him just as Draco did… She gave him a strange look,

"I'm sorry, but do I happen to know you? You seem eerily familiar." She eyed him suspiciously.

"We may have crossed paths once before… in bed." Then he smirked. A Malfoy smirk. Hermione's face relaxed and she rolled her eyes at him,

"You wish." She said playfully and _David_ began to pout. "Don't do that, it makes you look even more ridiculous in _that_ form. Why on Earth have you changed your appearance anyways, Draco?"

"Well, we can't have everyone seeing us together once we're in public!"

"But we're in America, we don't even know anyone!"

"Hermione, do you know who Bill Gates is?" Draco asked obviously.

"Oh, of course I do! How in the world do you though?"

"That's not the point at the moment, but what is, is that I _have_ heard of him. He is one of the most known men in the muggle communities, worldwide. Well, the Malfoy name is somewhat like the 'Bill Gates' of the wizarding world. But we're not only known for financial reasons." He scowled. Hermione knew how much he hated when people judged him by his name, his family history.

"Well, I guess that makes sense, but I'm going to feel very awkward holding your hand with you looking like someone who is not my boyfriend." She said sadly.

"Not just me! You too! You're almost as famous as Potter! You helped him defeat the Dark Lord, remember?" she looked at him, not really believing his words.

"What are you talking about!? No one is going to say a word to me." She said, brushing off the matter, "Now, let's go."

"Fine! But, if just one person confronts you, you're taking the potion I made for you." He said with a tone of finality.

"Fine. But, I assure you, no one will even notice me amongst the other thousands of people!" She said with an all-knowing tone of voice. Draco sighed and led her towards the door of the pub. She hurried over to it ahead of him, excited for what was behind it. Draco pulled open the door for her and she took a step outside. She let out an audible shriek when her surroundings came into view. There were shops lined up block after block. People, a countless number of people, were walking up and down the streets.

"Wow Draco!" she turned to him and hugged him tightly, "Draco! We're in Manhattan, aren't we?!" she shrieked, overjoyed. He nodded and reached for her hand again.

"Come on, let's head into some stores. There are a few wizarding shops scattered about the area that only magical folks can see."

"Draco! I don't have any money with me! Do they have a bank anywhere near?!" she cried.

"My, did you forget who I am?" she gapped at him.

"Draco! Oh Merlin! You can't possibly be meaning what I think you are…" she looked at him, aghast.

"Keep in mind that this is a one time thing. I don't normally going shopping with women, considering their actions when doing so. And, yes, I'm buying." He added quickly. Hermione stared up at him, beaming.

"Draco! I can't believe you'd do something like this for me! Thank you so much! I-," she stopped short, unsure of what to say, "Thank you!" she wrapped him in another tight embrace. When she finally let go he reached for her hand again and she immediately began to tug him in different directions,

"Oh! Let's go over here first! Doesn't that store look cute!?" He sighed but obliged. What had he gotten himself into?

&&&&&

**A/N: **Okay! Here's my newest, two-chapter story! What'd you all think? Please, please, please review and let me know! It's been quite a while since you've gotten anything totally new from me, but here is something ((finally))! Alright, well part two, which isn't as long as this, will be posted in a week or two, just to see how popular this little fic can get! I hope you all liked this and will like part two! Please note though: **There are only two chapters to this story!!**

**Review Please**


	2. Traitor

**Disclaimer:** Now, do you honestly believe I'd waste my time on fanfics if I were the original author of Harry Potter? Let me answer for you: no! I don't own the characters.

**Posted On:** November 11, 2006

---------------Pt. 2 : Traitor--

Harry and Ginny were seated across from one another in the Room of Requirements eating in candlelight, chatting amiably.

"…and then Lavender walked in. Hermione nearly fell off of the bed in shock!" Ginny said smiling and Harry let out a chuckle.

"That sounds like something Hermione would be embarrassed about. Actually, I was hoping you could help me out with something… involving Hermione." Harry said casually, not wanting to make the atmosphere tense.

"Go ahead then." Ginny said brightly.

"Well, it's about… where she is tonight. More so, _who_ she is with tonight..." he feigned relaxed and said it with caution.

"Harry, that's really none of your business. It's hardly even _my_ business." She sighed, not wanting to answer.

"But then she is with someone?" Harry asked for confirmation.

"Now, I never said that." She was getting defensive; a sign of lying.

"Then again you never denied it."

"Harry, I don't know what to say except ask Hermione." She said despondently.

"Who is it?" Harry pleaded, trying not to sound mad or _too_ persistent.

"Once again, I have no right to tell you anything. Ask Hermione." She said with a tone of finality.

"Is it Malfoy?" he asked, stopping his putting off the inquiry. She glared at him,

"Harry I don't want to have this conversation with you." Harry's eyes widened. They had been right. It was Malfoy. She was with _Malfoy_. Fury filled his insides almost instantly,

"Merlin, she's shagging Malfoy!?" He slammed his fist against the table and gritted his teeth, speaking with forced calmness.

"Harry, stop. Stop _now_. You have absolutely no idea what is going on or if Hermione is even with Malfoy. I _don't_ want to talk about this _anymore_." She said sternly, furious at herself.

_So she wasn't with Malfoy?_ He didn't dare ask, he knew how Ginny could get when she was furious, "Alright, I'm sorry." He said, and silently counted to ten, calming himself. Ginny nodded, forgiving him for his questioning her.

They began a small conversation again and all the while Harry couldn't help but wonder what, exactly, his best friend was doing right now.

&&&&&

Draco watched, bemused, as Hermione skipped to the next shop which happened to be a book store, _BORDERS_. She had already purchased four bags worth of clothes, all of which she insisted on modeling to Draco, though he hadn't mind in the least. But, she had stated once that it was strange showing herself off to someone looking nothing like her boyfriend. Speaking of which, the potion would be wearing off soon and Draco would be back to his normal self.

Of course, Hermione had been correct to assume no one would notice her amongst the millions of others and needed not take the potion Draco had made for her. But, being Draco, he insisted on taking his potion a second time about an hour before. He was convinced his popularity had been so great that he needed to conceal himself from the muggles. Hermione had just rolled her eyes at him; how conceited could one person get? Now he was left potion-less with ten minutes remaining from the one he was currently using.

"Oh! Draco look at this one!" she pointed to an American history book that was no less than 500 pages thick.

"My, why would you buy a history book?"

"It's _American_ history! I bet this'll be fascinating!" she smiled brightly and grabbed it off the shelf.

"You're not going to actually _buy_ that, are you?" Draco asked, almost horrified her actions. How many people would _willingly_ read a History book!?

"Yes, in fact, I am going to buy this." She said surely, not approving of his critical tone of voice. None the less she continued on through the bookstore happily.

"Ooh! I hear this book is supposed to be very insightful." She grabbed a black, hardcover book titled, _To Kill A Mockingbird_.

"What's it ab-," Draco was cut off by another 'Ooh!'. Hermione was now looking at a book called _Twilight_. He sighed and tagged along behind her while she continued on her search. At least she was enjoying herself.

"Ok, I think I've got all the ones I need." Hermione smiled and they walked to the front desk to buy the books she was clinging to.

Once the books were purchased and they were out of the store the couple slid into the nearest alleyway to give themselves secrecy while Draco returned to his normal self for good.

"You're hair is about three different colors." Hermione studied Draco's hair. He scowled at her and she giggled innocently,

"You're so immature. And here I thought I might just go swimsuit shopping with you…" she taunted, a smile playing on her lips. He smirked back coyly,

"Would this include the modeling part?" he took a few steps towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Possibly." She whispered playfully and Draco lowered his lips to hers for a possessive kiss. She moved her hands up his chest and around his neck, tangling her hands into his soft, blonde hair and pulling him closer to her in order to deepen the kiss. He traced circles along the small of her back, making her smile against his lips. He pulled away slowly from the blissful kiss and whispered into her ear,

"One more place, remember?" he smirked down at her and she smiled in return. She gave him one last kiss before picking up a few of the bags and heading out of the alley. Draco grabbed a few bags himself and followed after her, now the excited one; this was going to be fun.

&&&&&

The two of them exited the shop happily after an _enjoyable_ time spent with Hermione trying on various _outfits_.

"If you continue to bring about that proposal I might just become your best shopping buddy." Draco said cockily, slinging and arm around Hermione's shoulders as they walked down the avenue.

"Sorry, but that was a privilege available only on special occasions."

"Well, maybe I'll start buying you all of you clothes."

"At least you're telling me honestly that you're planning on bribing me in order to see me half nude!" Hermione eyed him, putting on the most serious face she could conjure at that moment.

"No, I do nice things because you're my girlfriend and I enjoy spending time with you." He said seriously and Hermione smiled and blushed, "but the initial is an additional, very positive, benefit." Hermione rolled her eyes.

They walked around the streets of Manhattan, stopping often to view some of the sites or to browse through a thrift store (all of which Draco found utterly sordid). Although plenty of the city was highly unsanitary, Hermione was captivated at the beauty of it in general. They had been walking for about an hour until Draco brought up the inevitable situation that Hermione was dreading.

"You know, we'd better get going soon. The time change between here and England is quite significant; it's a bit late there and we have classes tomorrow." Hermione frowned at his words. She didn't want to leave.

"Okay, five more minutes and we'll head back to the pub, sound good?" she asked sadly. "It's nice being here. We don't have to worry about anyone or anything. It's almost as if there are no troubles at all. Just you and me together, in public."

"There is also the small detail that in this country there doesn't happen to be a psychotic assassin trying to kill your best friend."

"Don't forget the _lunatics_ who call themselves his followers." Hermione let out a dry laugh, "More like slaves." Draco ignored the statement, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Though he was not a Death Eater, a majority of his family was.

"I guess we should get going now then…" he paused outside the small pub they had flooed in from. Hermione sighed, but nodded in agreement, opened the door, and stepped into the room. Inside there were a few witches seated at the bar; none of them seemed to notice their presence. Alright, more like _her_ presence. They seemed to have no problem staring at Draco shamelessly. He glared at them and tightened his grip around Hermione's waist to show he was clearly taken and they instantly looked away, looking highly disappointed. Hermione smiled to herself, thank goodness she had withdrawn Draco from that womanizing stage he had been in just a few months before.

"Bloody women." He muttered while pulling the bag of floo-powder. After taking out a handful himself and allowing Hermione to take some he put the bag away and stepped into the fireplace.

"Don't take long, okay? If you do I'm going to come back for you." He said protectively. Hermione nodded and smiled while Draco clearly spoke,

"Head's Common Room, Hogwarts." And disappeared into the emerald flames. She took one last look around and stepped into the fireplace where Draco had been standing not a minute before. While doing so she heard a snip of the conversation the witches at the bar were saying,

"…Malfoy boy… girl… wonder… was…" _Well, maybe Draco isn't _that_ conceited…_

"Head's Common Room, Hogwarts." And she was surrounded by green flames.

Next thing she knew she was being thrown out of the fireplace and onto the rug before the fireplace in her common room. "Ouch…" she muttered before pushing herself up.

"Oh, sorry, My." Draco moved over towards her quickly to help her up which was futile since she had already managed to stand on her own.

"It's okay." She replied nonchalantly.

"Are you hurt?" he gave her the once-over.

"No, no, Draco I'm fine." She smiled brightly, making her point. "Thank you. Thank you so much for today. Everything was perfect. Today has been the most memorable Valentine's Day I've ever had and it's all thanks to you." She said sincerely and stood on her toes, enabling her to plant a kiss on his lips. He immediately responded to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. He licked her lips and she granted him permission to move his tongue into her mouth. Their snogging session heated drastically and Draco moved Hermione backwards, causing her to back up against the wall.

Hermione moaned into his mouth, she loved his kisses. Just his touch could make her melt into his arms; and he knew it. Draco's hands slowly crept up her abdomen and cupped her breast. He caressed her softly, making her moan again. He began leaving a trail of light kisses across her jaw and down her neck. Her hands tangled into his blonde locks and she was panting lightly. She emitted a small "Draco" as his kisses moved lower. He moved his hands towards the back of her neck and began working on the knot in her halter top.

"Hermione! Open up, it's us." Harry's voice could be heard from behind the portrait entrance. Draco immediately dropped his hands and pulled away and moved towards the door, running a hand through his hair. Hermione frantically began straightening her shirt and tried combing her hands through her hair in a desperate attempt to help in even the slightest.

"She's sleeping, Potter." Draco said lazily after opening the door.

"Well, could you tell her we came to see her?"

"If I remember." Hermione rolled her eyes, holding back the urge to scold him; couldn't he give even a minor effort to get along? Hermione heard nothing more from Harry but looked up when the door shut.

"I wonder why they would come at such a late time?" Hermione pondered aloud. Draco shrugged,

"I don't know. Now, where were we?" He smirked and moved towards her again.

_Knock Knock_

Draco let out an irritable sigh and moved away from his girlfriend, once again, to open the door.

"What do you two want now?" Draco asked, annoyed at their second appearance.

"We need to ask you something, Malfoy." Ron spoke this time; he sounded a bit apprehensive.

"_Well?_" Draco glowered; how could Hermione befriend such mindless gits?

"Are you involved with Hermione?" Harry spat out. There was an awkward silence. Whatever Draco was expecting to hear from him wasn't this.

"Come again?" he said hesitantly.

"Are you and Hermione romantically involved?" he spoke slowly, glaring at Draco. Hermione was awe-struck, on the opposite side of the room, away from eyesight. How could they have figured anything out? They were being so careful!

Draco remained silent, unsure of what to say. Each second passed and the tension grew higher. They knew the answer and Draco knew of their knowledge.

"Where is she?" Harry asked for the second time that night, his voice seething with anger. Draco still remained silent.

"Where _is_ she!?" Harry shouted angrily. Draco took a deep breath, glared at Harry, and looked towards the right to Hermione, sending her an apologetic look, before pushing the door open fully and allowing the two boys to enter.

Hermione was horrified. She was so scared of what Harry and Ron were going to say she stood frozen in place for the first minute or two while they stared at her in disbelief.

"_Malfoy_?" Ron said angrily, questioning her judgment. She snapped out of her temporary trance.

"_Yes_, Ronald, Draco Malfoy! Is that so difficult to believe?" she said sternly.

"Hermione, there are plenty of people out there! Where did you choose him? Remember him? The one who's been calling you a 'you-know-what' for the last five years and has done nothing but make your life hell since you were in your f_irst_ year!?" With each word Ron's anger increased.

"Thank you for the overview, Ron, but I assure you I have thought this through long enough to know what the right decision is and which would be the wrong one. And I've made my choice; I choose Draco. He's changed, haven't you noticed throughout this entire year?" she yelled back at Ron, defending her and Draco's relationship.

Draco watched from the side, unsure of what to say. So, he chose to allow the two of them to fight this out.

"Hermione, he's probably only being nice under Dumbledore's orders or maybe even someone _else's_ order. Or, he might even be using the fact you have a joined common room to his benefit!" Ron said maliciously. Hermione looked at him in disgust and shock,

"You think I would allow _anyone_ to use me like that?" she said in awe; she would have thought her best friend would have known her better than that. This time, Draco spoke up too,

"Nor would I _ever _do that to anyone because, firstly, it's just indecent, and second, I just don't need to."

"Don't start bloody telling _me_ what's decent and indecent, Malfoy! If I do recall correctly _you_ are the one who's treated Hermione like dung for the past seven years!"

"Enough!!" Hermione shouted above the two boys before Draco could recoil to Ron's last words.

"Ron, Harry, I'm sorry, but this time, I'm going to have to agree with Draco. You two have made it clear that neither of you are willing to brush aside petty, schoolboy, differences and give a small effort to be civil. I do hope, though, that we can get through this because I though that our friendship was much, much more important than an argument over who _I _choose to spend _my _time with. Ginny has accepted it and maybe you'll understand soon enough as well. Now if you persist on arguing I'm going to have to ask to you leave."

"But 'Mione, what about everything he's-," Hermione held up a hand to silence him and he stopped his rant.

"Come on Ron, let's go." Harry spoke hotly, glaring at Hermione, his eyes clearly saying one thing: _Traitor_.

The door snapped shut and Hermione let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding in, "Some Valentine's Day."

"I'm sorry, they knew, I had to let them in. There really was no point in lying…"

"I know; they were bound to find out sometime. But why did it have to be tonight? Everything was going to perfect!"

"I can fix that." Draco purred, closing the gap between them and capturing Hermione's mouth in another kiss. She was immediately brought back to minutes before Ron and Harry had appeared and she pressed her own lips closer to his. Her hands made it once again into his hair and Draco's made it to the knot of her halter. Hermione pulled away from him suddenly and he looked a bit dejected, but curious.

"Draco… I, um, I need to know something." She said bashfully, looking at the ground. He reached up and tilted her chin up so their eyes met. She took a deep breath and continued,

"Do… you… Do you love me?" she said hesitantly, not removing her eyes from his. This was clearly _not_ what Draco had been expecting. He moved his arm from around her waist and looked down, sideways, past her; anywhere but her.

Hermione took his actions as a bad sign and moved a step away from him, blushing, shamed with herself, "I-I'm sorry. Never mind that. You don't have to answer." After a moment longer of silence she turned towards her room to leave, _great way to end the night, Hermione! Just bloody fantastic._

"No." Draco said suddenly. Hermione's stomach lurched. No? She froze where she was and turned towards him slowly, trying to keep the tears from welling up in her eyes. Silence would have been easier to bear that that revelation.

"No, no! Not _no_." Draco started quickly when he caught a glimpse of her face.

"I meant 'no, don't leave'." He reached for her shoulder but she moved sideways, not allowing him to make contact.

"It's okay, I understand…" she continued on her way. She couldn't believe she had just told her very best friends she had chosen _him_ over _them_. How daft could she be?

"Wait, My, stop! I love you." She froze once again where she stood, not trusting herself to turn around. She didn't know what she'd do, break down crying, or possibly smack him? Or even worse, see that dreadfully seductive smirk playing across his features. No, she would not turn around. Instead he came to her and pulled her around to face him. As it turns out, she ended up staring at him, unable to speak.

"I, Draco Malfoy, love you, Hermione Granger." He repeated with no trace of a smirk. Her eyes filled with unshed tears and she swallowed hard,

"Yo- you do?" she asked breathlessly. He smirked, lowered his lips to hers for a sweet second, and whispered into her ear, "Yes." Her eyes were sparkling and she squealed, throwing her arms around him tightly.

"I love you too!" She said genuinely, smiling in happiness.

So they stood, holding one another tightly, both afraid to let go. For now, they didn't care about what the future may bring them; they were in love. And, from that moment on, that would lead their lives into the directions they were meant to travel. Good or Bad.

**FIN**

**A/N:** Wow! So when I first started writing this I was planning on having it out on Valentine's Day, 2006. Now look at the date: November, 2006! A random time for a Valentine's Day fic but if you're a true shipper you won't really care for the date!

So I've noticed that a lot of readers are very much against worming in 'America' to Harry Potter fics, how did I do critics? Be brutal, be honest, be heartfelt, be MEAN, just **tell me**! Meaning **review**! Now, personally, I'm big on 1-page-in-Microsoft-Word reviews, buuut if you're not like me I'll totally accept those one sentence reviews as well; I just want some feedback! Please? I'll promise to reply if you include an e-mail address ((or if you're a logged in member)).

**Review Please**


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